Parliamentary panel suggests deregistration of NGOs commenting against Parliament

The parliamentary standing committee on the law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry has recommended the scrapping of registration of NGOs making objectionable comments about the House and the country’s other constitutional bodies.

The panel has made the suggestion after reviewing the proposed Foreign Aid (for Voluntary Work) Act.
 
Committee Chairman Suranjit Sengupta told reporters at the Parliament Media Centre on Wednesday, “If an NGO begins to make foul remarks about Parliament and other constitutional bodies, where does the nation go? The constitutional bodies need to be protected.”
 
He said the committee had suggested that, in accordance with the new law, the government could scrap the registration of such NGOs and ban their activities.
 
Sengupta said he had no objections to them criticising state establishments just as the media could, but the tenor of their criticisms was often unacceptable.
 
“(NGOs) can criticise, but (they) cannot be abusive,” he said.
 
The Bill was tabled in Parliament on Sep 1 last year and was sent to the committee for vetting.
 
However, a report by Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB), entitled ‘Parliament Watch’, had raised a storm in the House in October last year.
 
Sengupta objected to the TIB report’s criticism of Parliament, saying it undermined the state.
 
The report likened the current Parliament to a puppet show, while TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the ruling Awami League was using it to extend a unitary control over the country and weaken the opposition.
 
Political, not judicial issue
 
Suranjit Sengupta also spoke on the controversial 16th Amendment to the Constitution, which seeks to give Parliament the power to impeach Supreme Court judges.
 
 “That’s a settled issue,” he said. “It is a political issue and not a court issue.”
 
The legislature and the judiciary have been at loggerheads following a May 5 High Court verdict that described the amendment as a “mistake of history”.